Clinton to meet Syrian opposition in Switzerland: officials

VILNIUS — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet Syrian dissidents in Switzerland on Tuesday, officials said, as Washington sees Damascus increasingly isolated over its crushing of pro-democracy protests.

A State Department official told reporters on condition of anonymity Monday that Clinton will meet with seven political opponents of President Bashar al-Assad when she visits Geneva following a stop in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The official did not identify the group or disclose the agenda of the talks at a time when Washington seeks ways to support the opposition in its bid to oust Assad, whose family has ruled Syria with an iron fist for decades.

Clinton met for the first time with members of Syria’s disparate opposition in Washington on August 2.